Sharapova shadow over Williams family fortunes

Maria Sharapova smiles down from billboards across the globe, endorses blue-chip businesses and commands over six million Internet search results every day. Sadly for the WTA Tour, the world's highest-profile, and biggest earning sportswoman, has been nursing a shoulder injury since August.

With the Russian sidelined, Justine Henin in retirement and two Serbs who suffer vertigo anywhere near the rankings summit, one Miami newspaper last week suggested the WTA should now be rebranded the 'Williams Tennis Association'. It was only slightly tongue in cheek.

Ten years after Serena Williams won the first of her 10 Grand Slam titles, the American, still only 27, is number one in the world, a position she first occupied in 2002.

She may have hobbled to defeat in the Miami final against the improving Victoria Azarenka, but the feeling persists that the women's game struggles to supply the sparks generated by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer's epic confrontations.

Serena and elder sister Venus, five in the world but who also reached number one seven years ago, currently hold three of the four Grand Slams and could clinch a family sweep at Roland Garros in June.

With 74 titles and almost 50 million dollars in prize money between them, the sisters can afford to be virtually part-time players. Serena has played just five tournaments in 2009, winning 21 matches to three defeats; one of those was against her sister.

Venus has appeared at only four events, with a 15-2 match record. Even one of the two losses was a family affair as Serena evened up their lifetime head-to-heads at 10-10 in the Miami semi-finals. Worryingly for her rivals, Serena sees herself playing on for some time to come.

"I feel like there's next year and next week, and then there's the year after and the year after," she said after Azarenka shattered her hopes of becoming a record six-time winner in Miami.

While the Williams sisters counter-attack against pretenders, three-time Grand Slam title-winner Sharapova continues to recover from shoulder injury.

United back on top after late winner over Villa

Teenager Federico Macheda marked his debut for Manchester United by scoring an astonishing stoppage-time winner to give them a 3-2 win over Aston Villa on Sunday and keep them on course for the Premier League title.

Macheda, 17, who replaced Nani after 61 minutes, showed tremendous composure to turn Villa defender Luke Young and curl the ball past Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel to give United the victory that took them back to the top of the table.

United have 68 points from 30 matches. They are one point ahead, with a game in hand, of Liverpool who had gone top on Saturday after an equally late and dramatic winner from Yossi Benayoun in their 1-0 win at Fulham.

Chelsea, who won 2-0 at Newcastle United on Saturday, are third with 64 points from 31 games.

United, with Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov injured and Paul Scholes, Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney all suspended, had lost their previous two league games to Liverpool and Fulham and looked to be heading for their third successive defeat with only 10 minutes to go.

Villa, looking for their first win in nine matches and first at Old Trafford since 1983, led 2-1 but the game turned against them and left them hanging on to fifth place by a point from Everton.

United took the lead with a 14th minute Cristiano Ronaldo goal following a free kick awarded for a James Milner back pass to Friedel but Villa struck back with headers from John Carew after 30 minutes and Gabriel Agbonlahor after 58.

Ronaldo then made it 2-2 with a low shot from the edge of the box before Macheda's dramatic winner.

Murray beats Djokovic to win Miami title

Andy Murray won his third ATP title of the year beating Novak Djokovic 6-2, 7-5 in the South Florida heat on Sunday to win the Sony Ericsson Open. Playing intelligent and varied attacking shots allied to his usual impressive defence, the Briton was on top for all but the first part of the second set.

After dominating the first, Murray came back from 5-2 down in the second, the decisive moment coming when he broke Djokovic in the ninth game on a challenged call after the Serb had squandered two set points.

On break point, Djokovic's shot was called out and although he challenged the decision it was upheld, allowing Murray to draw level by holding serve in the next game.

The Scot then came back from 30-0 on Djokovic's serve to break again, having a bit of luck when his return clipped the top of the net and an off-balance Djokovic hit wide.

Murray, ranked fourth in the world, was left to serve out the match and clinch his third Masters series win and his 11th title on the ATP Tour. The Miami event is celebrating its 25th year but no Briton had previously managed to win the tournament at Key Biscayne.

The match took place in oven-like heat in the early afternoon and Djokovic - who has a history of struggling in high temperatures, retiring from the Australian Open in January - had to call for his trainer after the first game of the second set.

The world number three had played a series of sloppy returns in the first set and conceded he was well below his best.

Murray has now beaten Djokovic in each of their last three meetings after losing their initial four and his victory, coming after a runners-up spot in the Indian Wells Masters event, completes an excellent month for the 21-year-old.

Benayoun's late winner sends Liverpool top

Yossi Benayoun fired Liverpool to the top of the Premier League as the Israeli's stoppage time goal clinched a dramatic 1-0 win against Fulham on Saturday. Rafael Benitez's side looked as though they had blown the chance to knock Manchester United off top spot after hitting the woodwork four times in the first half at Craven Cottage.

But Benayoun was brought on as a substitute for the final 14 minutes and, with time virtually up, he lashed a blistering strike past Mark Schwarzer to snatch a crucial victory.

It is the eighth time this season Liverpool have scored in injury time and it is that character that is pushing United all the way in this season's title race. The Reds are now two points clear of United, although the champions have two games in hand, including Sunday's home clash against Aston Villa.

Liverpool were on top from the start and Andrea Dossena's left footed effort was tipped over the crossbar by Australian goalkeeper Schwarzer. Within 30 seconds Italian defender Dossena came close again, this time flicking a header onto the crossbar after Alvaro Arbeloa chipped the ball into the penalty area.

Fulham showed glimpses of attacking play, but were happy to try and frustrate their visitors. Liverpool were inches from finding their breakthrough on 23 minutes, as only a brilliant double save from Schwarzer denied them.

Fernando Torres cleverly side-footed towards the bottom corner after collecting a Steven Gerrard pass in the box, and as Schwarzer made a fingertip stop, he then scrambled across to push the ball away from the foot of Dirk Kuyt.

Liverpool were chasing a fourth consecutive win for the first time since October and refused to ease the pressure. Aaron Hughes attempted to head away a Gerrard corner from the right on the half hour mark and Xabi Alonso met the loose ball with a drive from 25 yards that struck the top of the bar.

Then, on 35 minutes, the woodwork came to the rescue again. Brilliant interplay between Gerrard and Torres led to the latter stroking the ball past Schwarzer, only to bounce back off the inside of the post. Incredibly it was only another two minutes until Liverpool were denied by the bar again.

Dossena's diving header bouncing back into play after a superb right sided cross from England midfielder Gerrard. As half-time approached, Clint Dempsey fired a free kick off target. It caused little worry for Pepe Reina, but it was the first effort of note from the hosts.

During the half-time break Liverpool may have begun to wonder whether Craven Cottage held some sort of curse over Premier League's big four. Arsenal lost here in August, Chelsea only managed a draw in December, and United were put to the sword most recently.

Fulham put a little more emphasis on attack in the second half, but still it was Liverpool who created the first opening as Torres headed straight at Schwarzer. The tempo of the game slowed drastically but Hodgson's side threatened when Paul Konchesky's free kick forced Reina into action.

A Liverpool counter attack almost led to substitute Ryan Babel forcing an opener, but John Pantsil was on hand to clear the danger. It signalled a new wave of pressure but Torres and Benayoun both failed to convert chances in the late stages.

Then as Babel moved forward one final time, Brede Hangeland tackled Gerrard on the edge on the area and the ball squirmed into the path of Benayoun. He wasted little time before drilling across Schwarzer to spark wild celebrations on the Liverpool bench and among the club's 3,000 travelling fans.

Hobbling Serena slumps to new queen Victoria

Belarussian teenager Victoria Azarenka clinched the first major title of her career on Saturday by beating top seed and world number one Serena Williams 6-3, 6-1 in the Miami WTA hardcourt final.

Williams, bidding to claim a record sixth title and third in a row, was badly affected by a left thigh injury which got worse as the match progressed. Despite the defeat, the American was already assured of hanging on to her world number ranking for the 71st week of her career.

It was a poor quality final. The players reached 3-3 in the first set before Serena, who had defeated sister Venus in the semi-finals, began to feel her thigh which was heavily-bandaged and which was also supporting her knee.

From that point on, the reigning US and Australian Open champion managed to win just one more game. Williams said she had been battling injury since her quarter-final victory over China's Li Na.

"It was a little difficult moving to the left, and a little bit to the right. A little forward was also difficult," she said. The American said she almost would have preferred to lose to her sister Venus in the semi-finals, except that then she would not have kept her world number one ranking.

"So that was the only upside to it," she said. "It was what it was. I gave the effort that I could give today. That's all I could give." And she had praise for her young opponent, who had retired ill against Williams after taking a set off the American in the Australian Open fourth round in January.

"I think she has really, really improved," Williams said. "I actually look forward to playing her again so I can play a little better and obviously do better. "But I think she obviously has potential and she's going to be a really good player."

Williams was under-powered on the court with five double faults, a poor 54-percent of first serves successful and an ugly 34 unforced errors.

Azarenka tensed up as she served for the title. She double-faulted on her second match point before wrapping up the trophy on her third. At 19, Azarenka claimed her first major title and third of her career which have all been won in 2009 with the previous two coming in Brisbane and Memphis.

Her win here will elevate her to number eight in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday.